A Ripon Grammar School student has won an award for designing an app aimed at helping commuters reduce their carbon footprint.
David Fernandes, a 12-year-old Ripon Grammar School student, was awarded a Faraday Challenge prize for his idea, which also intends to help Network Rail minimise its impact on the environment.
The app shows commuters the total carbon produced for each journey, as well as monthly projections.
David said:
“This was a great opportunity to research and better understand how science can help us solve some of the biggest challenges we face.”
David, a boarder at Ripon Grammar School, is planning a career in medicine ,
David’s ZeroCO2 Train smart app uses three steps – travel, calculate and offset.
It automatically calculates a consumer’s train travel data and provides them with options to offset their carbon emission.
His presentation was made in the 11-15 years category in the Virtual Faraday Challenge. This encourages the development of young people’s problem-solving and communications skills.
David’s idea impressed expert judges at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
The panel said:
“The idea of the app is so good and so well-researched it deserves to win a prize.”
His app allows commuters to use their e-train ticket (or scan their paper-based ticket) to be automatically validated at the start of each journey.
The app will show the customer the total carbon produced for each journey, also cumulative monthly journeys and annual projections based on their travel profile.
Travellers can then offset their carbon footprint by supporting a range of UK-based carbon offset projects, ranging from solar power to tree plantations that the app would recommend.
Entrants were asked to produce a design and demonstrate the engineering skills required to think of a solution.
This year’s task was: Helping Network Rail to sustainably manage the increasing numbers of passengers using their network.
David added:
“Like many of my friends, I am keen to do my bit to help the environment.
“While aware that train travel is the most environmentally-friendly way of travelling, I am concerned that having the technology to operate zero carbon trains is still decades away.”
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David, who is planning a career in medicine, is keen to use technology that could have a direct impact on train travel.
He wants to play a part in helping the challenge of holding global temperature rise to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
